Americas' Energy Leaders Take Action to Realize Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas

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LIMA, PERU - Energy ministers and other government energy leaders from across the Americas came together with major energy corporations and other experts in Lima, Peru June 15 and 16, 2009 at the Americas Energy and Climate Symposium. The Symposium, the first major energy event after the Summit of the Americas earlier this year, resulted in the announcement of concrete joint actions to improve energy efficiency, promote clean and renewable energy, and increase information sharing on best practices and past experiences.

"As President Obama explained when announcing the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, countries across our hemisphere must come together to find new ways to produce and use energy, so that we can create jobs and promote economic recovery while protecting our planet," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "The Symposium is the latest in a series of collaborative efforts to strengthen our clean energy future throughout the Americas, and we look forward to working with our regional partners in the shared goal of combating global climate change."

Among the joint efforts welcomed at the Symposium, Secretary Chu announced a Low Carbon Communities Program to assist countries in developing transformative energy efficiency and renewable energy programs to reduce the carbon footprint of urban communities throughout the region. Through this initiative, the Department of Energy will partner with countries in the region to provide technical assistance and limited funding to develop building standards and adopt modern urban planning strategies including transit-oriented development to achieve low carbon communities.

Energy leaders also announced the development of a Regional Energy Efficiency Center in conjunction with the Peruvian government and a Regional Wind Center supported by Mexico.

The Americas Energy and Climate Symposium, hosted by the Government of Peru, demonstrates the strong support of the nations of the region to expand cooperation on energy and climate change as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). The Partnership was first announced at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where President Obama invited all countries of the Western Hemisphere to be a part of a united effort in this critical area. Since the Summit in April, regional response has been overwhelmingly positive across all five ECPA elements: energy efficiency, renewable energy, cleaner fossil fuels, critical infrastructure, and energy poverty alleviation.

DOE's Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs David Sandalow joined with Ambassador Craig Kelly to lead the U.S. Delegation to Peru.